This invention relates to a sealing mechanism for bearings of reciprocating or revolving shafts.
For bearings, especially in the steel making industry for bearings of revolving rolls equipped for elongators and continuous casting machines, a sufficient lubricating effect is required, and for this purpose oil seals of elastic material have been used as being ringedly interposed between an outer hausing and a shaft. The oil seals of an ordinary type found in the prior art are installed in a special accompanying tool by hammering or pressing. Such a manner of installation, however, not only requires a considerable numbers of operations but also often develops machine troubles. Moreover, the oil seals installed in such a manner are very difficult to remove, and thus unable to reuse.
It has been proposed to adhere a metallic shell to an elastic oil seal for more stable installation. However, when such a prior art oil seal is used for bearings provided for elongators which will be subjected to high temperature conditions, adhesive property of a bonding agent is decreased or denatured so that the oil seal portion and the metallic shell might be separated from each other.
In operation of elongators and continuous casting machines, generated dust, earth, sand, scale, cooling water and the other foreign materials will often enter the bearing portion and thus affecting its lubricating property. Although many attempts have been made for establishing sealing mechanism which prevents the entry of the harmful materials, satisfactory results have not been shown.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved sealing mechanism for bearings of reciprocating or revolving shafts, which eliminates defects and disadvantages inherent in the prior art sealing mechanism.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel oil seal which completely prevents leakage of lubricating oil from bearings.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an oil seal which is easy for installation and removal without being damaged and thus reusable for many times as it is.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide an oil seal which effectively follows up swinging and eccentricity of shafts.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide a novel sealing mechanism which will also prevent the entry of harmful materials into bearings, thereby protecting the bearings.